Conceptual design of a computer-driven display for monitoring reactor coolant mass

The conceptual design of a display for monitoring reactor coolant mass in the primary coolant loop of a pressurized water reactor is discussed. A means-end relational network serves as the framework for decomposing the abstract-the conservation law of mass-into system and process variables. A computer-driven display synthesizes, in real time, mass sources, mass inventory, and mass sinks based on measured plant variables. The purpose of the display is to aid human users in the cognitive tasks of monitoring operations, diagnosing system faults, and responding to component and system failures that affect mass